Ricky Carmichael Part III
Jeff Emig was the king of the 250cc class when Carmichael
first arrived on the 125cc scene. Emig was one of the few
guys who could beat McGrath in supercross and during that
1997 season when RC bagged his first AMA National 125cc
title Emig was both the 250cc supercross and motocross
champion. He too, has fond memories of RC.
‘It had to be a Loretta's when I first saw him ride. He was
just a kid, but the impression that I have of Ricky on a mini-
bike is much the same as today, on a big bike. All of the
proper fundamentals were there, plus the ability to hang off
the bike when necessary, to either stay on the throttle or
stay on the bike and never miss a beat … he just had an
incredible balance and natural feel for the lines on the track.
‘You know what stood out with RC too: speed. Period. The
kid could go fast. Throughout his career the learned how to
harness that speed and worked on becoming†a professional
athlete that was fit in mind, body and spirit. Thus performing
on†a level never seen before. He was faster, stronger and
smarter than any rider we had seen before. full story on
mxlarge.com
Ricky Carmichael ten days ago in practice at Anaheim2
pic from racerxill.com
"Ricky Carmichael" by Jeff Emig -ozzy go- mxlarge.com
Monster Energy® Supercross Stats: San Francisco -ozzy go- amamotocross.com
Past Winners in San Francisco
AMA Supercross Class
January 27, 2007: Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki)
January 28, 2006: James Stewart (Kawasaki)
January 29, 2005: Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki)
January 24, 2004: Chad Reed (Yamaha)
January 25, 2003: Ricky Carmichael (Honda)
AMA Supercross Lites Class
January 27, 2007: Ryan Villopoto
January 28, 2006: Nathan Ramsey
January 29, 2005: Billy Laninovich
January 24, 2004: Nathan Ramsey
January 25, 2003: James Stewart
Carmcihael, Reed & Stewart last year at AT&T Park
TWMX Race Report: 2007 San Francisco SX
The story of a legend - Ricky Carmichael Part I -ozzy go- mxlarge.com
Ricky Carmichael’s had dominated the American motocross and
supercross scene for the past decade. Undefeated in ten years
of racing AMA 125 and 250cc Motocross Championships,
Carmichael has amassed a plethora of records and accolades.
He can boast the most overall wins ever – he has 150 national
(overall) victories to his name – and 17 titles.
But while it seems like he’s been around forever, and even
though he picked up a handful of 125cc titles prior to moving
up to the flagship class, it wasn't until 2001 and his first 250
supercross title that he truly ‘arrived’.
Displacing Jeremy McGrath as the AMA Supercross Champion
didn't go down too well with the diehard McGrath fans, though,
and it took RC a while to win over the masses.
However, some six years later, the season of his retirement,
it’s clear that Ricky is – or was – one, if not the most popular
riders in the sport’s history. full story on mxlarge.com
pic from racerxill.com
Ping's Anaheim 2 Practice Report -ozzy go- racerxill.com
Retro night at Anaheim is about to get started and, so far, it’s
looking good. The pits are filled with JT jerseys, Motley Crue
concert tees, fanny packs and girls with big hair. It’s totally
radical. Best costume award has to go to Erin Bates who looks
like she just rolled off the set of a Cindy Lauper video shoot.
The track itself looks great. The sand that was brought in is
creating bumps, berms and alternate lines, just like the track
that Bailey and RJ dueled on 21 years ago. Some of the
sections are strange, uneven obstacles that almost look like
they were taken from a Gary Bailey design at Daytona. There is
also a 75-foot triple (huge!), a right-hand first turn and a big
sand section to challenge riders. The racing should be insane.
In practice, Chad Reed put down the fastest lap times in both
sessions, followed by Stewart, Langston, Hill and Short. The top-
five order was the same in both practice sessions. Something
strange was going on today with James Stewart. The Monster
Energy/Kawasaki rider put down some decent laps and then
pulled in to the pits in the middle of both practice sessions.
Reed was able to best his times in both sessions, relegating
James to the second spot. full story on RacerX News
Monster Energy Supercross Stats: Chase Field -ozzy go- amamotocross.com
Phoenix AMA Supercross Class Winners
January 13, 2007: James Stewart (Kawasaki)
January 14, 2006: Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki)
January 15, 2005: Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki)
January 10, 2004: Kevin Windham (Honda)
January 11, 2003: Ezra Lusk (Kawasaki)
January 26, 2002: Ricky Carmichael (Honda)
January 27, 2001: Ricky Carmichael (Kawasaki)
January 19, 2000: David Vuillemin (Yamaha)
January 23, 1999: Jeremy McGrath (Honda)
Phoenix AMA Supercross Lites Winners
January 13, 2007: Chris Pourcel
January 14, 2006: Nathan Ramsey
January 15, 2005: Broc Hepler
January 10, 2004: Ivan Tedesco
January 11, 2003: James Stewart
January 26, 2002: James Stewart
January 27, 2001: Ernesto Fonseca
January 19, 2000: Casey Lytle
January 23, 1999: Nathan Ramsey
pic: TransworldMX Race Report: 2007 Phoenix Supercross
Carmichael Out For U.S. Open -ozzy go- racerxill.com
Seventeen-time champ forced to call it quits due to medical condition
American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) announced today that Team
Makita Suzuki Racing's Ricky Carmichael will not compete at this
weekend's US Open in Las Vegas. Carmichael has been diagnosed
with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a debilitating and complex
disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved
by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental
activity. CFS affects more than one million people in the United
States.
Carmichael's condition was more than likely brought on by his
recent intense schedule of motorcycle and car racing, his training
regime, and possibly a shortage of rest while caring for his
newborn twins. "I've just felt like I've been running out of steam
the past few months. Training has been difficult. I've struggled to
maintain my normal pace on my road bike and though I've been
extremely tired, I've had a difficult time sleeping and never really
feel rested," said Carmichael.
Unfortunately, RC's condition not only means that he'll miss this
weekend's US Open in Vegas, but he also will not be able to
attend the Bercy Supercross in November as planned. This
essentially means that the seventeen-time champion's motorcycle
racing career has come to a premature end.
"I'm disappointed to have it end in this manner," said Carmichael.
"I was really looking forward to racing the Open and Bercy.
Suzuki has stepped up the testing on the new fuel-injected RM-
Z450 in order to premier it at the Open. I feel bad for Suzuki, my
team and my sponsors as well as Live Nation, who have been a
great supporter of me during my supercross career. As it turns
out, MX des Nations was my last..." full story on racerxill.com
Ricky Carmichael at X-Games 13 - tedescophoto.com
Ricky Carmichael AMA Interview -ozzy go- amamotocross.com
In what may go down as one of the greatest races in the
history of American Motocross, Team USA swept the
2007 Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek. In the first
time on USA soil in twenty years, the MXON was a
fitting race to end Ricky Carmichael’s brilliant motocross
career. After the race was over, this is what RC had to
say. click here to the interview on amamotocross.com
pic from vitalmx.com/Wilcox Photos
Ricky Carmichael RacerX Interview -ozzy go-
5 Minutes With...Ricky Carmichael September 28, 2007
The greatest AMA rider of all time, Ricky Carmichael, retired from
first class motocross last weekend in Budds Creek, Maryland. The
multiple AMA Motocross and Supercross champion walked away
from the sport with a classic victory against the best riders in the
world. Finishing with 3-1 results, Carmichael helped Team USA
win the biggest prize in motocross, the Motocross of Nations. Here
is what he thought about his weekend. click on ozzy go to the
interview on racerxill.com
Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations - What an event -ozzy go- mxlarge.com
With a total of 75000 spectators, and marking the event’s
comeback to America after a 20 year absence, last weekend’s
Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations was one of the most successful
events that promoter Youthstream has ever organized. Under
President Giuseppe Luongo’s guide, Youthstream has been
working hard for this event, offering the crowd a magnificent
show. But there is more beyond what the crowd can see, and with
an established promoter like Youthstream, having contacts and
influence all over the world, there is plenty of backstage activity.
Youthstream is very active in supporting Wings for Life, a three
year old foundation studying spinal cord injuries and trying to find
a cure for spinal paralysis. Wings for Life, founded by Heinz
Kinigadner and Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz, brought lots of
important guests into a special press conference, where
Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo confirmed his company’s
commitment in supporting the foundation.
Giuseppe Luongo talks at the Wings for Life press conference
Legendary Ricky Carmichael has been the focus of the entire
weekend, as this was the multiple champion’s last appearance in
the event. In this occasion, Ricky took the chance to thank
Youthstream for having organized the event in the latest years,
and for having brought the... click on ozzy go to the full story
photo from motocross.com
Meet the new king: Ryan Villopoto beats the world's best... -ozzy go- amadirectlink.com
Ricky Carmichael has raced his last motocross—the last one that
counted, anyway.
"This was the last race that really meant anything, where I had to
perform and where I had to do good," Carmichael said after the
61st running of the Motocross of Nations at Maryland's Budds
Creek Motocross Park. "I have a couple coming up that are
obligations that I said that I would do, but apart from that, it's
done."
That, I saw coming, but this I didn't: At least by one measure,
Carmichael lost.
In the first moto, which combined the MX1 and MX2 classes,
Carmichael crashed in the second turn. Remounting in next-to-
last place, he dispatched 36 riders over the next 30 minutes, plus
two laps, of racing. Carmichael only failed to catch his Team USA
teammate Ryan Villopoto and runner-up Chad Reed. It was one of
the most thrilling come-from-behind rides in MXoN history.
For the fans, it was an awe-inspiring show, but for Carmichael, it
wasn't enough. click on ozzy go to the full story
Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations - Looking back -ozzy go- mxlarge.com
It was true domination. Simply put Team USA showed that on
home soil nobody can match them. While the Grand Prix
supporters would have loved to have seen some good racing in
Budds Creek, is just didn't happen. In all three motos Team USA
riders took an early lead and shot away from the opposition like a
cannon ball from a cannon. I am not sure I have ever seen a
rider dominate an event like Ryan Villopoto did last weekend.
He didn't make a mistake all weekend, and obviously was fired up
after his moto defeat of World MX2 champion Antonio Cairoli at
last years MXoN. Same went for Tim Ferry, he has a good
memory and when he got hammered on european soil at the
2003 Motocross of Nations he didn't forget. That beating in Zolder,
Belgium was put into his memory bank and he wanted everyone
to see that he is a different rider when it comes to American
conditions.
For me it was a painful weekend. I wanted to see our boys go
there and give it to the often cocky American public. I wanted
Cairoli to come out firing and put some hurt on Team USA, and I
wanted our MX1 world champion Steve Ramon to show AMA
champion Grant Langston he is a true world champion.
From the moment we got news on Friday afternoon that the race
bikes of Antonio Cairoli, David Philippaerts and Tommy Searle
were not going to arrive (they eventually did arrive) I was
worried. Then when AMA regular Ben Townley crashed out on
Saturday morning and was ruled out for the weekend I started to
really wonder what would happen next.
Saturday morning did bring some good news as the bikes arrived,
but how could the riders be mentally ready with such a battle in
these conditions. That magic MX2 battle between Villopoto, Cairoli
and Townley was shot to pieces before it could even begin.
The three races on Sunday did have drama, Carmichael and Ferry
both going down early and having to fight through the pack. For
the American fans and team it was exciting, for the european fans
it was a little boring. Our leading hero's just didn't fire. Tommy
Searle did a gallant effort, racing at the front of the pack in only
his second MXoN, and showing that he is mentally prepared for
anything. He was punted off the circuit by Chad Reed in one race,
but he showed enough to give hope for the future.
It wasn't until the final race of the weekend, when Carmichael,
Ramon, Ferry and Langston all had similar starts when we
actually got to measure the speed of the leading riders. The AMA
based riders once again proved too strong, although Ferry and
Langston didn't have it all their own way against Ramon, that was
probably our only real reason to get excited from the weekend.
While Ken De Dycker looked good in the MX2/Open race, finishing
second. It was the lack of depth in all three races that made me
wonder what we need to do with the format to get some
excitement into the racing. With all respect to Carlos Campano,
he finished seventh in that MX2/Open race and he has been
struggling to get points in the GP races. With names like Stewart,
Coppins, Townley, Strijbos, Vuillemin, Tyla Rattray, Christophe
Pourcel, and Gordon Crockard all out injured the field seemed a
little thin.
We can't forget the domination of Team America though. Imagine
if James Stewart had ridden. It wouldn't have mattered who
arrived at Budds Creek, it would have been a lot worse for the
rest of the world. We can all think the depth in America is not as
strong as in Europe, but in this three man team event there is no
team as strong as the United States of America.
click on ozzy go to the full story on mxlarge.com
ad pics from vitalmx.com & motocrossmx1.com
Carmichael Wins at Nations -ozzy go- suzuki-racing.com
American Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael ended his career on
a high note by taking his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to yet another
victory and his third team success in the Motocross of Nations.
The 27 year old raced to third and first positions in two hot and
fast appearances at a sell-out Budds Creek circuit to assist the
United States to their 18th victory in the historic competition that
has been running since 1947.
The AMA record-breaker in both Supercross and Motocross
disciplines appeared in front of passionate fans numbering 74,000
in his last competitive motocross event. Carmichael was honoured
with a lifetime career award prior to race day and demonstrated
his phenomenal talent and speed by coming back from the rear of
the pack to take third position in the first moto despite a crash on
the second corner. The Floridian has been competing part-time in
his swansong season and although he had not raced since mid-
August he blew the competition away in the second sprint by
taking the holeshot and earning his final chequered flag in
convincing and dominant fashion.
The triumph was added to his tally of 150 wins taken in AMA
competition and 15 titles (ten motocross and five supercross)five
of those championships with the RM-Z450. "I did not make it easy
for myself today but I came back and rode pretty good,” he
remarked. “I would like to have been more prepared coming into
this race but I cannot have many complaints and my team-mates
more than stepped up to the plate today.
“I am really excited about this result and the performances of
Ryan and Tim,” said the rider who steered his Suzuki to a perfect
unbeaten season in 2004. “For me this was my last race so I am
proud of what we achieved. I would like to give a big thanks to
the American fans that supported us and also the Europeans so
well. The Nations is a very big deal for me and I'm happy to see
the status of the event back where it belongs.”
MX1 World Champion Steve Ramon was part of the Belgian team
that earned the third step of the podium. The 27 year old Team
Suzuki rider went 8-4 in both outings across the rough and
technical track to finish as the second best rider in the MX1 class
and give Suzuki a 1-2 result. In the second moto Ramon - who
struggled with fatigue and was not feeling 100% fit - held second
position at one stage to a disappearing Carmichael and gave
Suzuki an excellent sight of two RM Z450s leading the world's
elite. click on ozzy go to the full story on suzuki-racing.com
The Winningest Motocross of Nations
Nations
United States 18 wins
Great Britain 16 wins
Belgium 14 wins
Sweden 7 wins
USSR 2 wins
Italy 2 wins
Riders
Jeff Ward (USA) 7 wins
Jeff Smith (Great Britain) 7 wins
Roger DeCoster (Belgium) 6 wins
Stefan Everts (Belgium) 5 wins
David Bailey (USA) 5 wins
Rick Johnson (USA) 4 wins
Johnny O’Mara (USA) 4 wins
Mike Kiedrowski (USA) 4 wins
Jack Van Velthoven (Belgium) 4 wins
John Draper (Great Britain) 4 wins
DE Rickman (Great Britain) 4 wins
DJ Rickman (Great Britain) 4 wins
Geoff Ward (Great Britain) 4 wins
Ricky Carmichael (USA) 3 wins
Jeff Stanton (USA) 3 wins
Jeff Emig (USA) 3 wins
André Malherbe (Belgium) 3 wins
Joel Smets (Belgium) 3 wins
Marnicq Bervoets (Belgium) 3 wins
Vic Eastwood (Great Britain) 3 wins
Ben Aberg (Sweden) 3 wins
Bill Nilsson (Sweden) 3 wins
Sten Lundell (Sweden) 3 wins
photo from motocross.com